Bioshocking News! Ken Levine Closing Irrational Games

Ken Levine has made a surprise blog post, revealing that after 17 years, he is closing Bioshock developer Irrational Games.

Irrational is today best known for their time under 2K games making Bioshock. They made their name in earlier years with System Shock 2 and the independently published Freedom Force.

Levine cites interest in going in a new direction, and plans for a more entrepeneurial position at Take-Two. He has effectively laid off all but fifteen members of Irrational, although he vouches he will take care of his former employees.

Regarding Bioshock itself, Ken is handing the franchise over to 2K Games. He promises to address more concerns with an FAQ in the near future. Coming off of the series’ financial success, this may come as a shock, but I see his point aboout reaching a creative rut. We’ll keep you up to date with news on Bioshock, Levine, and Irrational in the future.